Social Impact

Fashion Business School X The Institute for Future Creations

LCF's Fashion Business School (FBS) is collaborating with the Institute for Future Creations (TIFC) to develop learning resource content that enhances artisans understanding of the global marketplace to enable them to realise the value of their craft. The partnership will evaluate the efficacy of different mechanisms for local delivery of learning resources to artisans before launching their educational pilot model.

To date, the two teams have engaged in comprehensive field research focused on craft development, capacity training and the expansion of the global craft trade. This collaborative effort led to a series of workshops and roundtable discussions with designers, government representatives and industry stakeholders all of which culminated in a white paper, Sri Lanka's Crafting Potential: Sustainable Trade and Development for Sri Lanka's Artisanal Sector.
The report has provided the FBS team with a tri-focused road map which can now use to develop a blueprint for craft, textiles and design development, focused on supporting the Sri Lankan craft industry.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

In 2015, Professor Helen Storey developed the project ‘Dress for our Time’. As the project progressed, Helen developed a deeper interest in Za’atari, the refugee camp that once sheltered a fleeing Syrian family. This journey profoundly impacted her, leading Dress for Our Time to engage with the people of Za’atari, particularly women and children, to inspire hope and empower the next generation.

The work with UNHCR has now expanded further to include “Vital Signs” which builds on her seven years of experience as the ‘UNHCR Designer in Residence’ in Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan. After UNHCR missions to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi and Maratane Camp in Mozambique, this project addresses immediate humanitarian needs through collaborative design-led initiatives focused on:

1) Skills and self-agency
2) Community cohesion
3) Creating equitable futures

The project examines and connects various areas, including social, climate, and racial justice; the impact of creative endeavours on global change; and innovative cross-sector collaborations that unite higher education with industry, communities, and the humanitarian sector, alongside future online-educated students from the Global South.